Photo by: Jessy Holtfreter
Official press release:
Australia’s Nicolas Cage Fighter will unleash their I Watched You Burn full-length on September 12th via Bleeding Art Collective and Blood Blast Distribution (Nuclear Blast Records/Believe).
Nicolas Cage Fighter is a four-piece metal-driven hardcore act from Ballarat, Victoria. The band’s critically acclaimed 2022-released debut full-length, The Bones That Grew From Pain, led to features in key music media outlets including Decibel Magazine and a front page feature in HEAVY Mag while also featuring on a number of renowned Spotify Playlists. Wall Of Sound hailed, “a massive slab of chest-beating heaviness, tailor-made for the live stage,” while Angry Metal Guy wrote, “it slaps harder than an epileptic walrus,” adding, “The album is an economical burner with thirty-seven minutes of crushing riffs, blasting drums, and screaming vocals. As the name suggests, Nicolas Cage Fighter never relent.” New Noise concurred, “If you’re looking to take a break from fancy, artsy heavy music and need something that’ll strictly tap into your aggression and resolve, The Bones That Grew From Pain is a viable option… relentless.”
This year’s follow-up, I Watched You Burn, continues the trajectory. The ten-track offering was mixed and mastered by Christian Donaldson (Suffocation, Cryptopsy, The Agonist, Get The Shot) and features artwork by Giannis Nakos (Suffocation, Emperor, Evergrey).
Reveals vocalist Nick Moriarty:
“I Watched You Burn as a whole is a bit of a concept album lyrically; one that continues exploring the themes which were covered in our earlier releases but builds on these concepts in more of a narrative and fantastical story-driven manner. Where [2021’s] Cast You Out EP was an introspective exploration of the self-struggling to overcome adversity in an unforgiving world, The Bones That Grew From Pain was a reflection of how the people around us handle the same burdens and project our misery outwards. I Watched You Burn is the culmination of a world which has unraveled and imploded under the weight of its occupants’ ignorance and malicious past, and a first person perspective into the extermination of all life on Earth. This is the tale of an immortal serial killer on a dying planet, coming to terms with life, death, and what it truly means to be human.”
Adds guitarist Justin Ellis:
“Working with [engineer] Dylan Volk on this album was a lot of fun. Dyl is an incredible musician and perfectionist. We did so much preproduction on this release and picked apart every track I wrote. We really wanted to make sure we picked the absolute best riffs and built on those ideas. After making sure every track was dialed in, we started tracking and knocked it out in a few weeks. Dyl lives close by so I spent every night of the week tracking late. I feel this is our heaviest and most punishing release so far. It feels like the next level for Nicolas Cage Fighter and makes me excited to continue writing more music in the future.”
In advance of its release, today the band unleashes the record’s title track and accompanying video. Moriarty comments:
“The opening title track, ‘I Watched You Burn,’ sets the scene in this tale of life and death, as the protagonist has reached his breaking point in watching the world he grew up in crumble around him, the people he knew and once loved succumb to the suffering of a hopeless existence, and finding only misery and despair in trying to salvage the life that he once knew. But abandoned and left to die with no hope for salvation, this is where the role of judge, jury and executioner falls into his hands.”
Ellis says:
“‘I Watched You Burn’ was the first song I wrote for the new album and we all loved it from the pre-production ideas. Plenty of riffs but still catchy. Working with Dyl on it and the ideas he had really set the level we wanted to reach for the whole album. It’s also a beast to play live and the reception has been great.”
Watch Nicolas Cage Fighter’s video for “I Watched You Burn” below. Stream the track here.
In early 2025, it was revealed in The Guardian (UK) that actor Nicolas Cage himself is a fan of the band, not only commenting that he thinks the band is terrific but also quoting some of the band’s lyrics in an interview. With a vicious go-for-the-throat sound and an incendiary live performance, Nicolas Cage Fighter have truly earned the reputation of their namesake.
I Watched You Burn will be released on CD, LP, and digital formats. Stand by for preorders to be announced in the weeks to come.
I Watched You Burn track listing:
- “I Watched You Burn”
- “Valley of Agony”
- “Godforsaken Silence”
- “The Executioner”
- “Tempest”
- “Garden of the Grieving Mother”
- “Death in Bloom”
- “Legacies of Dust”
- “Existing Beyond Death”
- “Tarnished Remains”
Next month, Nicolas Cage Fighter will support Czech heavyweights No Face No Case on a short run of live dates. Additional support will be provided by Signals and No Life. See all confirmed dates below.
7/03 Gold Coast, QLD – Vinnies Dive Bar
7/04 Brisbane, QLD – The Brightside
7/05 Sydney, NSW – The Chippo
7/06 Wollongong, NSW – La La La’s
7/09 Newcastle, NSW – King St. Warehouse
7/10 ALbury, NSW – Beer Deluxe
7/11 Melbourne, VIC – Stay Gold
Nicolas Cage Fighter is:
Nick Moriarty – vocals
Justin Ellis – guitars
Matt Davenport – drums
Connor McMillan – bass